


Paint it Blue

by funeralsuits



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Love/Hate, Original Character(s), Prank Wars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25012756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funeralsuits/pseuds/funeralsuits
Summary: For the most part, Ravenclaw, Vivian Locksley, keeps her head down with her nose in a book at all times. That is, unless she's provoked. And no one likes to push Vivian's buttons more than Sirius Black himself.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

The library, like it is for many vagabonds and social pariahs, was a safe haven to Vivian. Often times, even when she didn’t have any homework to do or exams to study for, Vivian would hide out in the library with a stack full of books on all sorts of different subjects. Everything was fascinating to her. How could it not be? Even after six years at the school of witchcraft and wizardry, Vivian’s heart still couldn’t help but flutter with awe every time she learned something new. Only sometimes was this embarrassing. Like when she gasped aloud in Care of Magical Creatures or struggled incessantly with Potions, an almost shameful act in a house such as Ravenclaw. Nonetheless, all the subjects enthralled her – all save for Muggle Studies, that is.

While it wasn’t shocking to see a Ravenclaw holed away in the library, tearing their hair out over their upcoming N.E.W.T.s or scribbling their quill so furiously it tore straight through the parchment, no one was there as often as Vivian Locksley. There she’d sit, way in the back, surrounded by towering bookshelves of a world she felt she barely knew. Unlike many others, Vivian had only been studying these subjects for six years. She had a whole eleven years of crucial knowledge to catch up on and she wasn’t going to do that by drinking fire whiskey until she felt sick or going to Slug Club parties and rubbing elbows with the best of the best or pulling elaborate pranks like Sirius Black and his reckless band of Gryffindors.

As Vivian stuffed her nose in a thick, dusty book containing a detailed account of all things Thestral-related, she heard a noise sprout from a distance behind her – a sort of high-pitched buzzing noise followed by a quick flapping of wings, almost like a hummingbird. She peered up over the frayed, yellowing pages she was previously focused on and then over her shoulder, following the sound. Tiptoeing around shelves, Vivian peeked around the corner to see none other than the aforementioned Sirius Black along with his closest confidants, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. It was then Vivian’s eyes locked on the jar in Sirius’ hands containing a tiny, blue, winged creature – a Billywig. Vivian had read about them during her third year at Hogwarts in Newt Scamander’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Billywigs were insects indigenous to Australia, rarely noticed by muggles, with a long, curved stinger that plagued their victims with bouts of giddiness followed by inconvenient levitation.

“Come on,” Sirius insisted to his friends. “Can you imagine a Slytherin’s face when their brooding bullshit is replaced with giggling and floating? We can try it on Snivellus. Or Regulus!” Vivian’s eyebrows furrowed as she pulled her head back, hiding behind a bookshelf and listening more intently.

“It’s not a toy, Sirius. It’s a living creature.” Vivian would recognize this voice anywhere. It belonged to Remus, the level-headed one and only tolerable member of the group, in her opinion.

“Oh, come on, haven’t you learned anything, Moony? Anything’s a toy in Sirius’ hands. Even women,” James responded with a laugh. Vivian scoffed and rolled her eyes, though no one witnessed this action but her. This was so incredibly typical of the four lions. Just false bravado and mischief. It’d be best if she just packed up her books and left, forgetting what she saw entirely. But she couldn’t help but feel the same as Remus. It was a living, breathing being – it wasn’t just some Zonko’s gag that they could let fly around and wreak havoc. But she didn’t know what to do. If she intervened and spoke her mind, they’d know she was spying on them and she’d undoubtedly be a target to their next round of brutal social humiliation. But if she didn’t, it was like she was forfeiting everything she stood for.

Vivian gathered her books, closed her eyes momentarily, and took a deep breath. She rounded the corner and made as if she’d just happened to stumble into the group of boys. She feigned surprise as James hit Sirius in the shoulder causing Sirius to frantically hide the Billywig jar behind his back.

“Oh! Sorry, I just – I was just looking for the Shikoba Wolfe book on Priori Incantatem. It’s, um, it’s right behind you, I believe,” Vivian said, pointing behind Peter who nervously stepped aside. Vivian was thankful that she knew the library forwards and backwards by her sixth year and could make up such a reliable excuse on the spot. Carefully, with four pairs of eyes on her, she reached for the book that sat just out of her grasp. But before she could draw her wand to levitate it down, a hand reached above her and plucked the book off the shelf. She turned around to come face to face with Sirius, one arm still behind his back, the other holding her book. He handed it to her, sending a calm, yet somehow still mischievous, smile her way.

“Locksley,” he acknowledged her with the book stretched out towards her. She took it with a curt nod, hiding the disbelief she felt hearing that he actually knew her name.

“Thanks.” He waited, expecting her to leave, but she stood her ground. “So, where’d you get the Billy?”

Sirius’ composed façade barely cracked but the three other boys gawked at her accusation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, you don’t, do you? So, there’s not a jarred Billywig behind your back right now?”

He laughed and held both hands up, a solid party trick for a Muggle birthday magician, but first year material for a Hogwarts student. Vivian rolled her eyes.

“Alright, well if you did happen to have a Billywig in your possession, and I’m not saying you do, I’d just – I’d have to advise you to turn it in to Kettleburn as soon as possible.”

“Oh?” Sirius perked up taking an unwelcome step closer to her. “And why’s that?”

Vivian smiled. “Because not only do Billywig stings tear your flesh open and require days to heal, even with magic, but they have a purely defensive response that’s triggered by chronological smell. So, the first person one would target would be…oh, I don’t know, the person that’s kept it in a jar in his robes for days.” Sirius’ smirk fell. “But, since you don’t have one, I suppose that doesn’t matter, right?”

He nodded. “Right.”

“But if I were you and I had one – and that’s two big if’s – I’d boogie. The longer the imprint, the worse the sting. But you knew that, right?”

Sirius tried his hardest to maintain his composure. “Right.”

Vivian smiled sweetly. “Well, see you in Charms!” She waved to Sirius Black and the pale-faced boys behind him before turning swiftly on her heels and walking off, grinning to herself as she heard the frantic whispers coming from the row.

Personally, Vivian didn’t give a flying Nargle what happened to Sirius Black. It was the Billywig that she was concerned with. Especially considering there were only so many on this side of the globe. She couldn’t even imagine how Black got his hands on such an exotic creature, but she assumed it was from some distant connection his prestigious, pure blood family no doubt had. The Black family name stretched back for generations and expanded amongst the most well-known and high-class families. And, although everyone knew that Sirius despised his lineage and anyone associated with it, Vivian wasn’t sure he was above using his connections for perks such as exotic animals and rare potions ingredients – anything to be used in the name of a good prank. Granted, Vivian wasn’t averse to the occasional prank herself. But when it came to endangering innocent creatures, she definitely didn’t agree with the four Gryffindors’ methods. And, thus, she felt the need to intervene. But whatever they did with the Billywig now was up to them – Merlin knows you couldn’t make a Gryffindor do anything they didn’t want to, especially not that group of four.


	2. Chapter 2

Sulking out of Potions, Vivian hung her head in shame. Potions was absolutely her most difficult class and she couldn’t help but feel humiliated after every class. Yes, she was preparing for her N.E.W.T.s and, yes, she got an Outstanding (the highest score one can achieve) on her O.W.L.s, but that’s because those were written exams and papers. She excelled in both of those things, studying for months on end in preparation. But when it came to using that information practically? She was an absolute embarrassment. And in a house such as Ravenclaw, where curiosity and learning were regarded above all else, doing so poorly in a class was mortifying. It wasn’t that anyone actually cared – in fact, almost no one noticed – but, to Vivian, it was disgraceful. The worst part, however, wasn’t Vivian’s own pressure on herself, but the glares sent her way by her Potions partner, Alastair Pugh. Alastair, ever the perfectionist, was the one person that did notice Vivian’s incompetence when it came to the subject matter at hand. And every eye roll and every snide comment he directed at her just made Vivian sink lower and lower in her chair. This specific class, Vivian had tripped on the way back to their cauldron from the shelves, shattering the jar of worm’s wort in her left hand and spilling the frog’s breath contents from her right hand.

Thus, Vivian was left slinking out of class, avoiding eye contact all the way to Charms. Luckily, Vivian was much better at the subject than she was at Potions. Unluckily, the Ravenclaws shared their Charms class with Gryffindor. Going from a class where your partner berated you to a class where other students mocked you wasn’t Vivian’s favorite way to spend her time, but, nevertheless, she persisted. She picked herself up and pushed into the towering doors that led to Flitwick’s classroom and all of the bustling students inside. Every which way, spells were being cast and papers were flying – Vivian had to duck or else get her eyebrows nearly singed off.

She settled with her usual seat near the back. Typically, the empty seat next to her was occupied by her friend Winifred O’Connell – Winnie for short – but that day, Winnie was inexplicably absent. Come to find out later, she was off snogging her boyfriend in an empty broom closet, leaving Vivian to fend for herself. She leant back in her chair and propped her feet on the desk in front of her, cracking open a book. It was a Muggle book – Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Vivian owned all of his work, often marveling at his fascinating point of views on everything from consumerism to science fiction to WWII. Being a Muggle herself, Vivian felt a connection to his work. He seemed like an outsider to her, someone who saw the world from a completely unique perspective – she thought she could say the same of herself. Maybe she’d even write the next great novel like Vonnegut.

Unfortunately, her peace was interrupted by a commotion behind her. Sirius Black and James Potter were shoved up against each other on one chair, fighting for the seat next to Remus who rolled his eyes and stood up, taking the seat next to Vivian himself. The two rowdier boys grinned and took their seats side by side.

“Good to know where I stand,” Vivian mumbled sarcastically as Remus gave her an apologetic smile.

“They’re idiots,” he assured her to which she nodded.

“Evidently.”

“Hey now,” Sirius’ husky voice came from behind her. “That’s no way to talk about your friends, Rem. Look, you’ve hurt James’ feelings.”

James whimpered, pretending to cry.

“See? You’ve drastically upset him and for what? A bird?” Sirius sneered.

Vivian sighed, shutting her book tightly and turning towards the infuriating Gryffindor boy. “You know, this bird saved you from a future of searing pain and weeks in the hospital wing.”

“No, Remus did that when he took one for the team and sat next to you.” Sirius grinned as Vivian seethed, nostrils flaring and lips tightening. She whipped back around, shoving her face back into her book without another retort, making Sirius grin and lean back in his chair victoriously.

But before he could say anything else, Flitwick entered the classroom from his adjoining office. He climbed atop a precariously placed stack of books and began the lesson. As the lesson droned on, as much as Vivian wanted to be interested, she just couldn’t keep her eyes open. She wasn’t normally bored in her classes (save for History of Magic, but, really, who could stay awake in those lectures?), but as they reviewed nonverbal spells – a subject that Vivian had been researching since her third year – Vivian’s eyelids began to droop, getting heavier and heavier. If they’d been practicing nonverbal spells, that’d be one thing but simply reviewing the history and origin of them was another, terribly tedious thing all together. Even Remus, one of Hogwarts’ top students, found his mind wandering.

So, to keep herself awake, Vivian turned to drastic, mischievous measures. Slyly pulling out her wand, she quietly aimed at the boy in front of her. Said boy, the aforementioned Alastair Pugh, was always getting on Vivian’s nerve. When he wasn’t busy mocking and berating her in Potions, he was making suggestive comments about Vivian’s appearance and body. And if that wasn’t reason enough, a little mischief never hurt anybody. So, in order to make the lesson a bit more practical, Vivian put the concept of the nonverbal charm to good use. With the flick of her wand, a small, almost unnoticeable stream of wind came to life, blowing straight at the back of Alastair’s head, tousling his hair ever so slightly.

Alastair absentmindedly scratched the back of his head and Vivian put her wand down. When his hand returned to his quill, Vivian returned her wand to its original position and continued the wind spell. And the cycle repeated. Remus, catching on to what the Ravenclaw girl was doing, chuckled and shook his head. It continued until it got to the point where Alastair turned around, as if accusingly, to which Vivian looked up at Professor Flitwick, innocently ignoring the boy. Confused, Alastair faced forward again. Vivian continued pestering him. Seeing this chain of events from behind her, Sirius smirked but evidently rolled his eyes. Juvenile – first year stuff, he thought. If she really wanted to annoy the Ravenclaw boy, she’d turn his hair into maggots or his quill into one that erased all of his notes – something memorable, not a child’s charm. But regardless, it did indeed make him chuckle ever so slightly, especially when Alastair finally made a comment at Vivian.

“Knock it off, Locksley,” he whispered, aggravated.

She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Poo.”

“It’s Pugh,” he corrected her.

“And what did I say?” This one made the three Gryffindor boys around her snort.

Alastair glared at her, turning around without another word. Vivian smiled to herself, victoriously, before returning her attention to Professor Flitwick, who was closing out the lecture. Remus smiled at the girl next to her. He had a significant amount of respect for her after the Billywig incident, even though Sirius tried to diminish it, and it was only growing. 


	3. Chapter 3

“Knight to E5,” Vivian declared, staring intently at the board before her. The game was wizard’s chess and Vivian was an absolute mastermind at it. She never passed up a challenging match or an opportunity to prove herself as the best player Hogwarts had to offer. And Frank Longbottom was, often, her unfortunate victim. Although in different houses, Frank and Vivian were good friends. He was kind and intelligent, if sometimes clumsy or oblivious, and Vivian genuinely enjoyed his company. They met in Charms and often studied together – he even tried to tutor her in Potions, though granted it wasn’t his best subject either.

“Bloody Hell, Locks,” Frank muttered disappointedly as Vivian’s knight barbarically maimed his queen.

Vivian grinned in reply. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

Frank chuckled and shook his head, surveying the board to seek out his next move when a loud laugh reverberated off the walls from just a couple seats down from them. Frank’s eyes snapped in the same direction, going wide as he watched Alice Prewett, Gryffindor Prefect, with a cute, short pixie cut and brilliant smile to match, burst out laughing at something her friend, Marlene McKinnon, said. Vivian couldn’t help but smile and roll her eyes as Frank was pulled into a trance, eyes locked on Alice.

“You know she fancies you, right?”

Frank’s attention snapped back to Vivian. “What?” he sputtered, eyes wide in disbelief.

“I’ve seen the way she looks at you in Charms. It’s obvious she digs you. Come on, don’t tell me you can’t see it?” Frank said nothing in reply and Vivian shook her head. “Boys,” she muttered.

“You really think she fancies me?”

Vivian scoffed. “If she’s not into you, I’ll eat my foot.”

Frank laughed. “You have the worst hyperboles, you know that, Locks?”

“Of course. Now go talk to her!” she insisted.

“What? No, we’re in the middle of a game.”

Vivian smiled and shook her head. “It’s fine. Two moves and you were done for anyway. We’ll just call this one a draw – I’ll beat you another time. Maybe you can send Evans over. She’s always a worthy opponent. It’ll give you a reason to go over there. Now go.” Vivian nods towards the girls sitting just out of earshot.

Frank nodded. “Okay. Okay, I’m going.” He took a deep breath and stood up from his spot across from her. Warily, he made his way to the group of giggling Gryffindor girls who all turned to him immediately. A blush bloomed across Alice’s cheeks and Vivian smiled. Looks like she wouldn’t be eating her foot just yet. Thank Merlin for that. Frank nodded towards Vivian and Lily Evans, yet another Gryffindor Prefect, looked over with an eager smile. As she stood, Frank took her spot next to Alice nervously. Success. Maybe Vivian could start a Hogwarts matchmaking service, she thought for a moment, before quickly discarding this idea. She didn’t have enough experience in the world of love and dating to try to set other people up. She simply knew Frank too well and knew that if he didn’t take a chance on Alice then, he never would.

“I’ve been sent by Longbottom,” Lily declared standing above Vivian on the other side of the table. “He says you’re looking for someone that can match your superior strategic intellect, so, naturally, here I am.” Vivian laughed at the false persona Lily was putting on. Everyone knew she was one of the most talented witches in their year, and perhaps the whole school, but she would never dare say such a thing – she was as humble as they came.

“Okay, Potter,” Vivian teased causing Lily to gasp as she sat down.

“How dare you compare me to that pompous oaf,” Lily shot back, setting up the pieces back to their original positions.

Vivian shrugged. “If the cloak fits.”

“Alright, Locksley, why don’t you just put your skills where your mouth is.” Vivian beamed and their match began. Lily was a lot more fun and wittier than the other students gave her credit for. It was often said about her that she was standoffish or too studious for her own good – boring, even. But anyone that really knew the fiery redhead knew that she was anything but. And Vivian would like to think that they were friends, maybe not super close friends, but friends nonetheless. Although adorning blue and silver proudly, Vivian often liked hanging out with people of other houses, overlooking the obvious biases that other students often seemed to embrace.

Not ten minutes in, Lily and Vivian were interrupted by a bothersome group of boys. Lily’s concentration was broken when a body slid into the seat next to her, bumping her purposefully in the process. Lily’s eyes darted to the ceiling, as if looking accusingly at God himself, before making obviously exasperated eye contact with Vivian. Along with James came his usual band of irritants – Sirius sliding next to Vivian with Remus following him and Peter on James’ side.

“Good morning, Beautiful.”

“What do you want, Potter?” Lily asked, annoyance dripping from every syllable she spoke.

James clutched his heart in a look of mock-offense. “I’m hurt. Why must I always want something from you? Can’t your company suffice?”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Perhaps. But your company is highly unwelcome.”

“Oh, come on, Evans. Now you’re just being spiteful.”

“Yeah, we’re just here to offer our assistance in this riveting match of intellect,” Sirius insisted from beside Vivian, who was doing her best to politely ignore his presence by her shoulder. “Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor. Brains versus brawn…and brains. I’ll give you a hint, Bird, rook to B9,” he whispered into her ear causing her to shoot a glare his way.

“I don’t need your hints nor do I want them, thank you,” she replied, promptly ignoring his insight. “Bishop to D8,” she declared instead.

“Queen to D8,” Lily countered, her queen moving to obliterate Vivian’s bishop.

Sirius clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Should’ve listened to the lion. Top of the food chain for a reason.”

Vivian rolled her eyes, biting her tongue. “Knight to D8.” The group of six watched as Vivian’s knight destroyed Lily’s queen in a counterattack. “Checkmate.” The sword fell from Lily’s king, clanging to the ground in defeat. Vivian couldn’t help but smirk victoriously as she glanced at Sirius from the corner of her eye. “You were saying?” she asked him innocently, looking up at him with big, doe eyes. Even after her loss, Lily couldn’t help but smile too, watching Sirius’ face fall.

“Maybe you two should play, considering you’re so gifted at wizard’s chess, right Sirius?” Lily taunted. “That’s what you’re always saying, isn’t it?” Vivian chuckled as she scooped the pieces up and placed them back in the box.

Sirius shrugged, regaining his confidence. “I don’t know if the bird could handle a defeat of such proportions. Merlin knows everyone lets her win to feed her Ravenclaw superiority complex.”

“Superiority complex?” Vivian questioned incredulously. “That’s rich coming from you, Black. I’m almost certain if your head gets any bigger it won’t fit your cap.”

Sirius grinned. “Hey, the bigger the better, right? More of a view for everyone else.”

“Cute.”

“Hey, thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.” He winked at her.

Vivian scowled at him before directing her attention back to Lily. “I gotta bounce, Lily. There’s only so much insufferable arrogance I can take in one sitting and they’ve just about filled my quota. But good game. Always a worthy adversary.” She grabbed her boxed chess set, saluted her friend playfully, and turned to leave.

“Ah, the Wannabe Gryffindor retreating to her sanctuary of books and self-loathing, no doubt.”

“And leaving you with your narcissism and false bravado!” Vivian called over her shoulder as she left.

“Hm. She’s a quick one, ey?” Sirius muttered to Remus who sat beside him.

Watching her friend exit through the towering doors of the Great Hall, Lily sighed. She turned her attention to the oafs that caused Vivian’s swift departure. “Must you always be such an insolent tosser?” Lily asked, narrowing her eyes at Sirius. “It’s bad enough you all bother me. But my friends too? Really?”

“I thought we were being quite friendly!” Sirius claimed, putting his hand over his heart in mock-offense.

James nodded. “Besides, she’s a bird, Evans. What was she doing at our table anyway?”

“She’s my friend. And Longbottom’s friend. And Marlene’s and Alice’s. There’s no rule that says she can’t sit here.”

“No rule on paper, maybe,” Sirius shot back.

Lily scoffed and shook her head. “You lot are impossible,” she muttered before getting up and returning to her friends a couple of seats down, leaving the group of boys in their bigotry.

“Can you believe her?” Sirius complained, turning to Remus and the other two boys.

Remus shrugged. “I mean, she has a point.”

“Oh, not you too, Moony. Don’t tell me they got to you.” He put his hand on his friend’s forehead. “Are you ill? Feeling warm at all? Should we take you to Pomfrey?”

Remus batted his friend’s hand away, chuckling. “Piss off. Maybe Lily’s right – you are an insolent tosser.”

Sirius turned to James seriously. “That’s it. He is sick. We must take him to Pomfrey right away, lest he infect the others.” Sirius stood up and looped his arms under Remus’ trying to drag him off his seat as James and Peter laughed.

“Hey! Cut it out!” Remus exclaimed through laughter of his own.

“Let him go, Pads,” James insisted, still chuckling. Sirius rolled his eyes and did as such, sitting back down as Remus resettled himself.

“I agree with Remus,” Peter spoke up, an unusual occurrence as he would usually take the side of James or Sirius, afraid of disagreeing with either of the two. “Vivian’s nice. She was the one that got all those Cornish Pixies off me last year in Magical Creatures and she did warn you about the Billywig. Can you imagine how painful that would’ve been?”

“Vivian, is that her name? Huh.” Sirius thought for a moment. “Well, regardless, she’s a bird. She should stay in her lane and at her own table. Wouldn’t you say so, James?”

James shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s not all bad. Don’t really know her, though.”

“Oh, not you too, Prongs! This is getting ridiculous. Can’t I get any backup on this one?”

“Jury’s still out,” James assured him with a laugh. “I’ll let you know if I develop any strong opinions.”


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn’t until about a week and a half later that James did, in fact, develop a strong opinion on Vivian. The group of boys were hanging out around the Black Lake, sharing their latest Honeyduke’s haul and brainstorming future mischiefs. Vivian, unbeknownst to the boys, sat not too far away under a tree, with Slaughterhouse Five open before her. Apple in hand, Vivian let the wind flip her page, taking a bite and being thrust into Dresden, Germany in the 1940s simply by the written word.

Unfortunately, her adventure was ripped from her grasp far too soon when she heard the commotion happening just a short distance away. Her eyes glanced up from her book for just a moment, seeing Lily and her friend Severus walking towards the Black Lake. Vivian had never really talked with Severus before – she didn’t necessarily dislike him, but she definitely wasn’t friends with him. But he was friends with Lily, so he couldn’t have been that bad, right? Vivian turned her attention back to her book until she heard Lily yelling. When she looked up again, she saw James Potter, with his stupid little gang behind him, levitating Severus into the air and laughing at him as he struggled. Suddenly but powerfully, rage bloomed in Vivian’s chest. Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared as she quickly scrambled to her feet and stomped towards the scene.

“Potter, stop it! Put him down!” Lily screamed, not daring to pull her wand against James. Yes, Lily was a skilled witch in her own right, especially when it came to the classroom, but James was the superior dueler, no doubt. Although he would never hurt Lily in the slightest, she was too caught up in the situation to fight him. Instead, she took to pleading with him to drop her friend safely. Vivian, on the other hand, had no such reservations. She had dropped her book to her side and, without thinking to draw her wand, she took her apple and chucked it towards James, hitting him impressively hard in the ribcage and breaking his concentration. Unfortunately for Severus, this meant dropping down onto the ground with a thud, distracting Lily from the duel that was bound to ensue.

“Oi!” Potter called out, clutching his side that was sure to bruise later. This gave Vivian time to pull her wand out of her pocket before James turned to her, wand pointed directly at her.

“Expelliarmus!” Vivian called out, enough force in her to send James flying backwards.

Peter was the first to draw his wand after that. “Stupefy!”

But Vivian was too quick. “Protego!”

“Locomotor Mortis!” Vivian’s legs unwillingly stiffened, causing her body to tip and fall to the ground, her arms luckily still working and able to catch herself against the grass. She looked up at the culprit, which was none other than Sirius Black, quickly joined by a recovered James with Peter and Remus not too far behind.

“What’s your problem, Locksley?” James shouted at her.

“Let me go!” Vivian shouted at them.

“Yeah, what’re you, some kind of Slytherin Sympathizer?” Sirius spat down at her.

She glared at him. “And what are you? An arrogant prat?”

Sirius laughed. “Hard to insult me from down there, huh?” Vivian looked around for her wand, cursing the fact that it sat just out of reach.

“Come on, Sirius, lay off her,” Remus, always the voice of reason, said, hitting his friend’s shoulder lightly.

“No, I want to see her get out of this situation. Since she’s so quick to duel. How’re you gonna get out of this one, Locksley?” Luckily, she wasn’t unaccustomed to fighting without magic and Sirius was standing just close enough for Vivian to grab his ankles, pulling his legs out from under him and causing him to land straight on his ass. Vivian snickered as Sirius cursed to himself, pushing her away. By then, Lily and Severus had approached them again, Lily unlocking Vivian’s legs with a counter-curse, allowing her to retrieve her wand, stand up, and brush herself off as Sirius did the same.

“That’s it, Bird. I’m done playing nice,” Sirius declared staring her down.

“You call what you were being before nice?” Vivian countered incredulously.

“That was nothing compared to what’s to come. This means war.”

Vivian rolled her eyes. “I’m shaking,” she replied sarcastically, picking up her book. “You know, I thought Gryffindor was about being brave, not being a cowardly bully.” She turned towards Lily and Severus, heading back to the castle promptly.

“Hey, Bird, you forgot this!” Before Vivian could turn around again, she felt a sharp thud against the back of her skull. Not at a force that could really injure her, but just painful enough to be slightly humiliating. She knew it was the apple she’d chucked at James and she knew whose voice was shouting at her too, there was no mistaking Sirius’ low, gravelly snark.

Vivian let out an irritated sigh. She didn’t even turn around, but instead muttered a quiet, “Avis Oppugno,” flicking her wand back towards the group of boys, sending a flurry of birds darting towards them. Lily laughed as she watched the boys frantically run from the birds and Vivian couldn’t help but smirk – even Severus let out a chuckle.

“Thanks for stepping in back there, Viv,” Lily said. And though it really should’ve been Severus thanking her, Vivian took it anyway.

“Of course. You know I can’t stand those twats.”

Lily nodded. “Ugh, they just – they can be so infuriating! Where do they get off, you know?”

Vivian laughed. “They’re just a bunch of moth-brained gits. You’d think they would’ve grown out of it by now.” She shook her head as they neared the castle. “Listen, I’ll see you guys later. I gotta head to the owlery.”

“Alright, Viv, we’ll see you,” Lily responded with a warm smile. Severus gave her a nod – that was the most she’d ever received from him. But she took it as it was better than nothing. And away Vivian went. Although she said she was headed towards the owlery, she simply wandered the grounds. Since her previous alone time was so aggressively interrupted, she felt that she needed some space, not ready to return to her common room just yet.

There were times Vivian wasn’t sure if she was placed in the right house. Like whenever she couldn’t get a grip on a bezel in Potions or when she got an Adequate on her History of Magic O.W.L. or when she sticks up to some ignorant toads like James Potter. She thinks perhaps maybe she should’ve been placed in Gryffindor or even Slytherin (if it wasn’t for all the magic-related prejudice surrounding the house). But then she ran into someone like Potter or Black or Egerton Goyle, a rather nasty Slytherin boy that never left her alone, and she was reassured in her placement. She talked with people like Winnie or her quite eccentric friend Xenophilius Lovegood, and she felt a strange sort of kinship with these people.

And, yes, she loved books and riddles and learning, but she also valued courage and loyalty and ambition. Sometimes she just didn’t understand the sorting system and the Hat that made the rules – though she’d never tell this to anyone for fear that they’d criticize her for being disloyal to her house, or even Hogwarts itself. But walks alone among the castle grounds always at least reassured her that she was in the right place, if not the right house. When she looked over the Black Lake from the Ravenclaw tower, when she stopped for tea at Hagrid’s hut, even when she dodged the lethal branches of the whomping willow she knew this was her home. Her real home, not the Muggle household she came from, the household she was forced to return to every summer, much to her dismay. Hogwarts was where she belonged.

Back near the Black Lake, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter ran frantically from the sharp-beaked birds. After hiding behind a particularly large tree, they heard the birds hit the trunk, each exploding on impact. Peter groaned, falling to the ground with relief. The rest of them leaned against the wide trunk of the tree, catching their breath.

“Develop any strong opinions on her yet?” Sirius asked his friend that removed his glasses, wiping the sweat from his face before replacing them.

James scowled, nodding. “Oh yeah.”

“And?”

“This means war.”


End file.
